Grades 6 - 8This week was spent getting used to some new software in our lab called Italc. It it designed to keep our students safe and to get and stay on task by allowing the teacher or teacher/librarian to view all computer desktops to monitor student activity from the teacher's station. Some of the students complained that it is "spying". I disagree. When parents and students signed the Acceptable Use Policy located in the Parent/Student Handbook at the beginning of the school year, it was with the understanding that all practical measures and procedures would be followed as pertain to school computer usage. As such, students may listen to "clean" versions of favorite songs, may not go on unapproved websites and if they are off task during our lesson, they are re-directed appropriately. If there is repeated misbehavior, a screenshot will be taken of their screen which will be sent to Mr. Hahn and they will be asked to get off the computer. If such behaviors are repeated, the student may be banned from computer usage throughout the school. Computer usage is a privilege, not a right and we will do anything we can to keep students mind's on their academic pursuits as well as monitor all negative behavior including cyberbullying. I am happy to report that all went smoothly this first week. Next week, we will begin Cornell Notetaking. Grades 3 - 5Students had some free time on the computers this week as we had several events and assemblies that limited our time in the library. They also are becoming familiar with Italc (see Grades 6-8 above). It is important to let our students know how important and valuable computers are to learning but they need to be responsible users. Next week, we will continue with our Book Trailers. Grades K - 2We celebrated World Read Aloud Day all week by having student volunteers read a book aloud to their class. We chose Leo Lionni's Cornelius. Cornelius is a fable which appeals to all ages with an important message to walk to the beat of your own drum. Next week we will celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday (March 2nd) and have several Read Across America Events scheduled.
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Grades 6 - 8We finished up our Beginner Typing Lessons this week and completed our last activity for Schemes and Scams on the Internet. Students had to view three (3) "phony" or "phishing" emails and be able to identify what was suspicious in each. They have become aware that generic messages (addressed to no one specific), misspellings, threats to close accounts and questionable links within the email asking for personal information are all red flags they need to be aware of. Next week is Spirit Week so we will have some fun things planned. After Winter Break, we will begin our unit on Note-taking Skills. Grades 3 - 5Students viewed some great examples of Book Trailers this week created by students their age from other schools. Be sure to check out Mrs. Unger's book trailer example on this website under Resources. After we found partners, we spent some time brainstorming ideas of books that we've read that would make great book trailers. We had to come up with a minimum of 5 books. Next time we are together, we will begin mapping out our trailers by creating scripts and gathering images and thinking about the music we'd like to use. Students will be using Animoto to create their book trailers which will be published on this website when completed for parents to view. Grades K - 2We had fun using Animal Graphic Organizers as we listened for facts about Groundhogs. Many of us had no problem listening to the video, entering data into our graphic organizer and sharing what we found with the class. Soon, we will be using simple databases to conduct research on other topics so this was an excellent start.
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AuthorMrs. Unger is the School Librarian at GCCS,. Teacher of Library Information and Digital Literacy Skills, Supreme Book Recommender, Major Book Nerd and Tech Lover. Archives
November 2016
CategoriesA person's a person, no matter how small - Dr. Seuss |